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PicoWay is a picosecond laser. Its pulses are so short that they shatter pigment by shock rather than heat, which makes it the tool for sun spots, freckles, stubborn pigmentation and tattoo ink, with less risk to the surrounding skin than older lasers. At Rejuvenation Dermatology Calgary South, Dr. Paul Kuzel, a board-certified dermatologist, examines every spot before it is treated and performs every treatment himself.
A picosecond is a trillionth of a second. Pulses that short deliver their energy before heat can spread, so pigment particles fracture into fragments the body can clear while the skin around them is barely warmed.
Brown spots can be treated by shattering the pigment or by resurfacing the skin that holds it. The right choice depends on how many spots there are and what else the skin needs.
Targets the pigment itself, spot by spot or across an area. No change to texture. Best for discrete sun spots, freckles, cafe au lait patches, tattoos and pigment in darker skin.
Treat pigment and texture together across a whole area. Best when sun damage is diffuse and the skin also needs work on lines, pores or precancer.
FraxelRedness, broken capillaries and red spots are blood, not pigment. They need a vascular laser, not a pigment laser.
VBeamA mole is never lasered. A pigmented spot that could be a melanoma or a lentigo maligna is biopsied, not treated. Dr. Kuzel examines every lesion with a dermatoscope first.
Freckles and molesA pigment laser will remove the colour from almost anything. The danger is removing the colour from something that needed to be seen.
PicoWay is used on the face, chest, hands and body, and on tattoos anywhere.
Discrete lentigines on the face, chest and hands clear in one or two sessions. The spot darkens, crusts and flakes off within a week.
Sun damageScattered freckles and flat birthmarks lighten over one to three sessions. Freckles return with sun exposure.
BirthmarksGentle fractional passes over a course, always alongside prescription lightening treatment and strict sun protection. Improvement, not cure.
MelasmaBlack, blue, green and red ink, professional and amateur. Fewer sessions than older lasers, usually six to ten for a professional tattoo, eight weeks apart.
Tattoo removalThe fractional handpiece stimulates collagen beneath the scar with a day of redness. A course of three to five sessions.
Acne scarringCollagen stimulation for fine lines and uneven texture in patients who cannot take resurfacing downtime.
Fine lines and wrinklesA PicoWay session takes fifteen to forty-five minutes depending on the area. Spot treatment is usually performed at the first visit; tattoos and courses are booked after consultation.
Downtime depends on the indication. Spot treatment leaves dark crusts for a week; the fractional handpiece leaves a day of pinkness; tattoos blanch and swell for a few days.
No referral is needed for cosmetic treatment. PicoWay is priced per session by area, or by tattoo size, and quoted at consultation. The price is confirmed before treatment.
Call (403) 286-6888 for current pricing.
Sun spots and freckles respond fastest: most clear or lighten substantially after one or two sessions, once the crust has shed. New spots form with further sun exposure, so the result is maintained with protection rather than repeat treatment.
Tattoos fade progressively over a course. Black and dark blue ink respond best; green, yellow and light blue are slower. Most professional tattoos need six to ten sessions to fade to near invisibility, and some leave a faint shadow. Amateur tattoos need fewer.
Melasma improves rather than clears, and only with the prescription treatment and sun protection that go alongside. Acne scars and texture improve over a course of fractional sessions, with the collagen response building for three months after the last.
PicoWay is priced per session by area, or by tattoo size, and quoted at consultation. Call (403) 286-6888 for current pricing.
One or two for sun spots and freckles. Three to five fractional sessions for scars, texture or melasma. Six to ten for a professional tattoo, eight weeks apart.
The pulses feel like the snap of an elastic band. Spot treatment is brief and rarely needs anaesthetic; tattoos and larger areas are numbed first.
Treated spots darken and flake over five to ten days. Fractional treatment leaves a day of pinkness. Tattoos swell and may blister for a few days. Makeup can usually be worn the next day on the face.
It is among the safer pigment lasers for darker skin because it works by shock rather than heat, and the 1064 nm wavelength passes through the skin's own pigment. Settings are still adjusted to skin type, and a test spot is sometimes done first.
With care. Low-energy fractional treatment can improve melasma alongside prescription lightening treatment and strict sun protection. Aggressive treatment makes melasma worse, so it is never the first step and never used alone.
No. Moles are not lasered, because laser destroys the tissue a pathologist would need if the mole were ever a melanoma. Moles that bother you are removed surgically and sent for examination. Every pigmented spot is examined with a dermatoscope before any laser treatment.
PicoWay for discrete spots on otherwise good skin. Fraxel where the sun damage is diffuse and the skin also needs texture or precancer treatment. Some patients have both.
Most tattoos fade to near invisibility over a course, and black ink responds best. Some colours and some inks leave a faint shadow. Dr. Kuzel gives an honest estimate at consultation.
Dr. Paul Kuzel, MD FRCPC, a board-certified dermatologist and the founder and Medical Director of Rejuvenation Dermatology Calgary South, examines every lesion and performs the treatment personally. He sees patients in English and Czech.
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Book a consultation with Dr. Kuzel. No referral is needed for cosmetic treatment, and spot treatment is usually performed at the first visit.
Rejuvenation Dermatology Calgary South
10201 Southport Rd SW #102
Calgary, AB T2W 4X9
Two blocks west of the Delta Hotel
(403) 286-6888
Referrals by fax: (403) 225-2914
Open seven days a week, with early mornings and evenings on weekdays.
Take the first step toward achieving healthy, radiant, and flawless skin. Contact Rejuvenation Medical Aesthetics today to schedule your personalized consultation and explore the advanced treatments tailored to your unique needs.
